Charity stripe connections advance Tribe past Warriors

     Clutch free throws from Hillsboro junior Aric Carroll propelled the Indians to victory Tuesday evening, as the junior guard made 8 of 10 free throw attempts in the final 3:31 of the fourth quarter, with the Indians defeating the Eastern Brown Warriors 66-64 at Hillsboro High School.

     “I am extremely proud of the way the kids handled the adversity at the end of the game,” Hillsboro head coach Tim Davis said. “They continued to compete and knocked down free throws in the final few minutes of the game. Free throw shooting was the difference.”

     Carroll made his final six free throw attempts in a span of 22 seconds.

     The Indians trailed for two and a half quarters as they didn’t gain their first lead until the 4:35 mark when senior Airic Steagall nailed a 3-pointer to put the Tribe ahead 38-36. Carroll sank a 3-ball for HHS less than a minute later and Steagall came back with a layup, forcing his way to the hoop, to put HHS in the lead by seven points with 2:52 left in the quarter.

     Eastern came within two points of the lead as senior guard Tyler Knabb made a 3-pointer and senior Taylor Little made an inside shot. Little finished with 17 points.

     Knabb was the star of the game as he gained a game-high 34 points, making six 3-pointers and eight two-point buckets.

     Hillsboro continued to produce from the free-throw line late in the third with Steagall and Eli Hogsett each knocking down two shots.

     The Tribe, who are officially 3-5 overall, led by six points entering the final eight minutes, but the advantage quickly vanished with Knabb making acrobatic baskets for the Warriors to make it a two-point game at 47-45.

     Up to the halfway mark of the fourth the Warriors outscored HHS 10-7 with HHS making two 3-point shots (Colt Coates and Carroll) and one free throw by Carroll to stay in the lead at 54-51.

     In the final 3:31 the Indians didn’t make a single bucket from the floor, but produced from the free throw line. HHS was 12 of 16 from the foul line to seal the win. Knabb made an uncontested 3-pointer to end the game.

     HHS finished 25 of 33 in free throw shooting overall, as the Warriors made 40 percent of their attempts but were just 4 of 10.

     Steagall led the Indians with a team-high 20 points. He sank three 3-pointers and was 9 of 12 from the free-throw line. Carroll earned 19 points with three trifectas and a 10 of 14 performance from the charity stripe.

     Coates was the third Indian to score in double figures with 15 points, also making three 3-pointers.

     “Airic (Steagall), Colt (Coates) and Aric (Carroll) all stepped up and made huge free throws and shots for us in the fourth quarter,” Davis said. “Another key to the win was our ability to box out and get rebounds at the end of the game.”

     The end of the game belonged to the Tribe, but the start of the game belonged to the Warriors as they jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first quarter. Knabb started off the non-league matchup with a 3-pointer. Jordan Payne followed with two points after forcing an HHS turnover.

     Coates scored the first seven points for the Tribe with a 3-pointer and two inside buckets. Steagall ended the first with a 3-ball to bring HHS within two points of the Warriors at 12-10.

     The second quarter ended with the score tied at 27. Knabb scored nine points in the second. Dawson Barreras netted five points for HHS and twin brother Dylan Barreras scored five points, as well, in the same quarter. Dawson Barreras tied the game with the quarter’s final bucket.

     Hillsboro is credited with winning three straight games, as they take their winning streak into Saturday night as they host non-league opponent Western Brown.

     In JV play Tuesday the Indians defeated Eastern Brown 49-43. HHS outscored EB 27-5 in the fourth quarter. HHS trailed 38-25 halfway through the final quarter. HHS was led by Jarrod Hart with 11 points and Chase Gilliland with 10.

     In freshman play, HHS was defeated 42-21. Hart led HHS with five points. Kyler White and Preston Walker each scored four points for the Tribe.

BOX SCORE

SCORE BY QUARTERS

EBHS – 12 15 14 23 – 64

HHS – 10 17 20 19 – 66

INDIVIDUAL STATS

HHS (66)

Da.Barreras 2 1-2 5, C.Coates 2 (3) 2-3 15, E.Hogsett 0 2-2 2, Dy.Barreras 2 1-2 5, A.Carroll 0 (3) 10-14 19, A.Steagall 1 (3) 9-12 20. TOTALS: 7 (9) 25-33 66.

EBHS (64)

J.Payne 3 6, T.Knabb 8 (6) 0-1 34, T.Little 7 3-5 17, C.Garrett 2 4, Z.Downing 1 1-4 3. TOTALS: 21 (6) 4-10 64.